On David Ortiz: 'What planet is that guy from?'

ST. LOUIS -- Any description of what David Ortiz has accomplished in the World Series would understate matters. What Koji Uehara has been to hitters, that's what Ortiz has become to pitchers in carrying the Red Sox within a win of a World Series titl

ST. LOUIS -- Any description of what David Ortiz has accomplished in the World Series would understate matters. What Koji Uehara has been to hitters, that's what Ortiz has become to pitchers in carrying the Red Sox within a win of a World Series title.

When Ortiz strides into the batter's box these days, it's a sight to behold.

"It's like, 'Hang on for the ride because something special is going to happen,'" bench coach Torey Lovullo said. "He's locked in. He's seeing the ball. No matter what type of pitch it is, he's making a really good, aggressive pass. It's what every hitter works hard to get to. He's locked in at the right time."

"At this point, it's pretty tough not to sit in the on-deck circle and be a spectator," Jonny Gomes said. "This guy, he's making this game seem pretty easy."

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"What planet is that guy from?" David Ross said.

Coming into Game Five, the word was that St. Louis had spent too much trying to throw fastballs away to Ortiz and that he'd been burning them because of it. Adam Wainwright tried a different approach. He threw fastballs and cutters at the hands of Ortiz.

Ortiz whacked a double down the first-base line in the first inning, scoring Dustin Pedroia with the game's first run. He singled to right field on a fastball up and in when he came back up in the fourth inning.

The entire Busch Stadium crowd broke out in cheers when St. Louis center fielder Shane Robinson hauled in a rocket of a line drive to center field off the bat of Ortiz in the sixth inning. But Ortiz was back at it in the eighth, beating out a ground ball hit to second baseman Matt Carpenter in shallow right field.

"He's ready for every fastball they throw -- and then they throw a curveball at a good spot down and away and he laces it to center," Saltalamacchia said. "I don't think he's hit a ball not off the barrel yet."

The statistics are astounding, eye-popping, laughable -- take your pick of incredulous adjective. He's hitting .733 with a .750 on-base percentage and 1.267 slugging percentage. He singled twice and doubled in Game Five, and his slugging percentage went down. It seemed like a moral victory just that Wainwright and reliever Carlos Martinez kept Ortiz in the ballpark.

"I don't know when they're going to realize not to pitch to him," Shane Victorino said.

"You know they don't want to pitch to him," Stephen Drew said.

"Everybody is scared of him, man," Felix Doubront said.

Wainwright did want to pitch to Ortiz. Wainwright wanted to pitch to everyone. Wainwright didn't want to concede defeat -- especially in the first inning, even with a runner on second base and first base open.

"I don't like walking anybody," the St. Louis ace said.

But by not walking Ortiz, the Cardinals have decided they're willing to pay the price. They've done everything they can -- in, out, hard, soft, straight and moving. He's hit everything.

"They're putting their heart and soul into reports, every angle trying to get this guy out, and they can't," Gomes said.

"This is why we call him 'Cooperstown,'" Will Middlebrooks said. "The way he prepares every day, he prepares like it's his first year in the big leagues. He's in here watching video. He's in the cage working. That's a guy who's got just about every award in the book and he's done it all and seen it all, and he always wants more. It pushes all of us."

Ortiz was one of the best hitters in the American League all season. He's had stretches like this before. He slugged .917 in his first nine games after he came off the disabled list in late April, for example. He's not about to concede that this assault on the Cardinals' pitching staff is something out of the ordinary for him.

"I did that 20 times this year," he said with a grin. "I was born for this."

But the playoffs are a bit of a different animal -- in a good way.

"There's a day or two off here and there, and his body recovers and he gets a little rest," Lovullo said. "It's just a chance to step back and recharge his thoughts and recharge his batteries and prepare."

Ortiz has a day off Tuesday to recharge his thoughts and recharge his batteries and prepare.

"I've got my mindset," he said. "I've been playing this game for too long. When I go to the plate, I try to look for a strike and try not to get out of it. That's pretty much what I've been doing all year."